Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-06-15
SOME PERILS In PORT.
A FEW OF THE DANGERS BEsETTiNG
THE MARINER WHEN IN HARBoR.

THE MARINER WHEN IN HARBoR.
The Terrible Winds In West Indian
Ports-The Deadly "YeIlow Jack"
Adventures in Both Hemispheres-A
Narrative of Personal Experience.
Especial Correspondence
BOSTON, June 9.
How often one hears that such vessel or
'uch person has arrived safely in port, as
though all the danger to be apprehended by
the mariner was from wind and sea, and
while upon the wide ocean. But an expert
enced sailor will tell you that the safest
place by far for the seaman is upon the
water, that with the Eear approach of land
the danger increases, and not even when the
anchor is down in harbor is all liability to
disaster passed.
In many ports of the world the danger of
shipwreck is so imminent that vessels have to
lie with ''slip" on their anchor chains and
their sails hanging in the buntlines in readi-
ness to get under way at a moments notice.
In 1865 the Boston ship Harry Warren
was compelled to put to sea during one of
these violent blows, and was buffeted about
for two weeks after which she made Point
de Gale (Ceylon) completely dismasted and
CbDeTWls6 udIudSSu. SalCuLLd, WHICH i
situated 100 miles inland from the coast,
would be supposed to furnish a safe harbor,
but in 1853, and also in 1867, this "the City of
Palaces" was visited by terrific gales, which
tore vessels from their anchorage and drove
them across the river on to the Howrah side
where in two blows over 100 "sail" were lost
and more than ten times that number OF
human lives sacrificed.
-.
1t is not, however, Of the harbors Of the
East Indies that this story treats, but OF the
dangers which surround some of those nearer
home. those of the Bahama and West Indian
groups.
1t was in July, 1886, that the writer entered
the port of Havana, Cuba on board of a
bark, which had brought coal from the far
northern shores of Cape Breton. The weather
had, of course, grown gradually warmer as
we ran down our latitude, but even until we
made the land the "trade winds" blew cool
and refreshing, following us close in to the
MORO Castle, but when we rounded the grim
old fortress, and its formidable piles of ma
sonry shut out the sight of the beautiful blue
sea, the hot. fetid air of the island struck us
with almost sitting effect. SO sudden was the
contrast. In fact so potent was the change
that large Newfoundland dog, which we
had brought from Cape Breton, ran stark
mad and had to be killed within half an hour
after entering the port.
On the second day, as we were dscharging
our cargo of coal, in the middle of the forenoon
one of the men began to complain of violent
pains in his head, back and legs. 1t was the |
symptoms of the fever, and
medicines must be administered at once, as |
the disease develops rapidly when once in the |
system. applied such remedies as my
limited knowledge of medicine would allow
me to do, and saw the man snugly slowed
away in his bunk; then l set the flag for the
doctor. He died the next night.
Four weeks we were obliged to remain in
this port, during which interval two more
men snccumbed to the fatal disease; but the
day of departure came at last.
We were not bound north, however. but
up the coast to a place called Key Francis,
which is a small island on the rhern c. T.
Of Cuba, and about eighteen miles from Cal
BARREN, and where all vessels Of any size
which take cargo from that port are obliged
to load, not being able to get up to the city
on account of the shallowness of the water
Although Key Francis offers a good harbo1
and boasts of excellent holding ground for
anchors, still it was while lying here that an
incident occurred which nearly sent our YES
sci, with all on board, to the bottom.
We had just begun to load when a fine
American bark came into port and anchored
about a quarter of a mile from us. She had
also come up from Havana and while in that
place we had become somewhat acquainted
with her officers, so that night after supper
her mate came aboard to spend the evening.
He brought the news that he had left two
of his men in Havana, and feared that his
captain was coming down sick with the fever
but he could not help him any, as ''the old
man would not take anything in the shape of
medicine
We could not resist the impulse to draw q
little away from our visitor as he impaired
this unwelcome news; we had just begun to
congratulate ourselves that we had ESCAPED
from the clutches of the fatal fever. for the
port of Key Francis is very healthy. living as
it does directly in the course Of the trade
winds, and no malaria or disease could re,
main long or even gain foothold there; and
yet our foe was in the midst of u.s.
The morning following the visit broke dark
and murky, the wind was blowing from the
northeast quite strong, and was accompanied
by drizzling rain; few hours after day-
light it jumped round to the westward and
increased greatly in intensity. The barom-
eter had fallen rapidly and was still going
down; we knew that we were in for a "nor-
ther," which is most to be feared in these lati-
tudes in the summer months. The wind
gradually goes completely round the COM
pass, and, finally settling in the north. pro-
ceeds to blow with terrific fury.
Our second anchor was dropped and all
the chain paid out, and aside from the two
showers" we bent the end Of a new hawser
into the ring of heavy stream anchorn and
acid that in readiness to cast over the bow il
necessary. AT II n. m. the wind was so
fierce that it took up the water all about us
in sheets of snray which con,nlatslv ,,,